Comments on Humanure

Posted 10/03/13 - 1:16 AM:
Subject: Humanure
My soil is not excellent for gardening, mainly because any and all organic residues (humic substances and decaying bodies)disappear rapidly due to heat of the climate. Amendments to the soil, like chicken poo or compost can cost money (though I've yet to ask horse people for horse poo).

A small incremental fix to the energy crisis would be to recycle our shit by composting it. You mix urine and feces in fine absorbent sawdust or coir and compost it under rain cover (to prevent leeching by rain). It takes about a year of leaving your poo compost completely alone to work its magic before its safe to use on plants for eating.

Would you eat vegetables or fruits grown on humanure (this is to test your disgust capacity)? If properly managed its entirely safe.

In the grander scheme its a tall order, especially in cities where the the pipes are so convenient. The problem with our poo is that it subverts the normal nutrient recycling found in nature. All the nutrients extracted from farm soils don't get put back. Agriculture is thus reliant on NPK salts derived from fossil fuel intensive processes.

What do you think of humanure? A noble idea or is it a shit-brained idea.

I really don't see why there should be a problem about it, except that a few people got freaked out at the idea and started getting more and more restrictive regulations in place. Plants grown for food do not take the manure up directly, it is first broken down by microbes in the ground into nutrients which are then taken up by the plant. I know some people are obsessed with the idea of completely separating and isolating human waste so it never comes in contact with anything that another person might use or touch. My self I really don't care, and am not bothered by it at all, while still living at home I cleaned out the septic tank with a dipper, put it in a wheelbarrow and hauled it out to dump in a gully. I've cleaned out septic lines when needed, no big deal, just wash your hands when you are done.

I prefer sausage over hot dogs, but I still eat them sometimes. *It's the chemicals that make them tasty.

On a somewhat related note, on another forum I posted a story about a part of one of our church services, where the pastor preformed a ritual "Foot Washing' for anyone who would come forward.

-Slight digression, My wife and I were the last to go up and when the pastor finished with us we sat him down and each of us took one of his feet and performed the foot washing on him. He was a bit surprised but I felt that it symbolized that we all serve each other and it is not just one person serving everyone else.-

Some people on the forum were freaked out and were going on about rubber gloves and plastic face shields and forceps to handle the wash cloths and towels. I would guess that it would be these same people who would scream about human waste as fertilizer. Shit is shit, and once it's on the field and broken down, there ain't nothin' gonna get ya.

Speaking of poo fear I always think of neighbors causing a ruckus about such issues. There are people who've had to remove buildings because they failed to get a permit, or complain about vacation rentals. Feels like one can't do anything on owned property without the possibility of a ruckus being raised. Codes, codes, codes.

Hot dogs remind me of poo. It's like they are the predigested meat of an industrial monster. There is an idea for marketing.

Yes Codes can be a pain in the backside but there are also some very good codes that protect people from other people. I was the Zoning and codes officer for about 6 months in my township, I liked zoning but didn't like codes, I was more of a builder than a police officer. One important factor is the authorities attitude toward codes. When I took the job the supervisors told me I didn't need to go looking for trouble, enough would come to me. I spoke with a couple codes enforcement officers from another township and they related that twice a year they would drive the township looking for violations.

You better not come round my house doc and be eyin my zones and stuff with your fancy badge of authority. I got a smith and wesson and a jimmy conner. I'll bury you in the compost heap and feed you to my vegetables.

You better not come round my house doc and be eyin my zones and stuff with your fancy badge of authority. I got a smith and wesson and a jimmy conner. I'll bury you in the compost heap and feed you to my vegetables.

Go ahead, post your criminal record? Otherwise you're just a macho Pansy flapping you gums over nothin'. Case numbers and public records, or you have nothing.